ITALY VS USA | UNIVERSITY (GRADING, CAMPUS LIFE + MORE)

Hey youtube and welcome back to my channel today I’m going to be doing a highly requested
video University in USA vs University in Italy I would say that getting into an American
is very difficult because you’re evaluated on so many different
things aside from your grades. you’re evaluated on how much volunteer work
you did, how many extra-curriculars you did, how many languages you speak you’re even evaluated on how much money you
have An American college is essentially a business They don’t need just smart kids, but they
also need athletes they need athletes that will pack their stadiums
and make them money they need more international kids and kids
from other backgrounds so that they can look diverse and receive more federal funding and receive higher rankings internationally American colleges evaluate many different
things when looking at their candidates it makes getting into an American college
way more competitive and way more difficult. once you get into an American college once you get into an American college, you’re
pretty much set you have so much support in an American college aside from extraordinary circumstances like
family or financial issues you don’t leave American university because
it’s too hard or because you don’t have enough support On the other hand, Italian universities and
European universities in general are pretty easy to get into If you have good grades and you pass the admissions
test, you’re going to get in. In America you can have a 4.0 and still not
get into the colleges you wanted to get into But once you get into these European schools,
there’s no academic advisor for example There is not a structure such as that in an
American university There won’t be resources pushing you to do
well and there also won’t be extra things you can
do to bolster your grade and do well It’s really difficult to graduate on time
in an Italian university most Italian universities, although the basic
bachelors degree lasts for 3 years the actual average to complete most programs
is 4 years of course, cost is a huge difference between
American and Italian universities American universities can range anywhere from
$20,000 to $60,000 a year not including room and board We Americans grow up with a mentality that
this is just the way it is our parents had to pay student loans student loans are just a way of American life But what we don’t realize is that the cost
of the tuition has gone up something like 500% in the last 20 years our parents were paying $20,000 for their
whole degree you could work during school and still pay
off your whole degree nowadays, that’s impossible! All the guidance counselors in high school
and all the parents tell you ‘just do it, just do it.. …it’s worth it, you can’t let money stop
you from going to school’ That’s why you see Americans signing up for
$60,000 a year loans because it just seems as though that’s what
you HAVE to do where as in Europe, it’s different People think that education is a right, not
a privilege of the rich. so you have that European universities in
some European countries are even free! For foreigners as well as citizens! In Italy the university is not free but it’s still quite affordable the max I’ve ever seen for a public university
is maybe 2,000 euros a year The most expensive school in Italy just happens
to be the one that I go to The full price of it is around $15,000 a year but another thing with Italian universities
is that you actually pay tuition based on how much money your family makes and there are usually 4 income brackets if you’re in the lowest, you don’t pay $15,000
a year you pay like $5,000 or $6,000 a year like America they have scholarships and stuff
to give out they just don’t have as many to give out when
compared to America because the costs are not as high It’s much easier to pay $5,000 a year than
$60,000 a year In America you will have so many scholarships,
so many financial aid opportunities but it really doesn’t put a dent into how
much education is going to cost I got into one school which wanted to give
me $20,000 worth of loans and I’d only be paying $3,000 a year but that’s still $20,000 of loans that I have
to pay back another one gave me a lot of scholarships but I’d have still ended up paying $12,000
out of pocket if you get really good grades and you don’t
have a lot of money you’ll still get a big discount from that
$60,000, $40,000 tuition bill but it’s still not anywhere near as affordable as going to
school in Europe grading in Italy is on a 30 pt scale and in America it is on a 4 pt scale you have a GPA between 0-4.0 and in Italy… well you can’t have a 0 GPA you have to have a minimum of 18 you have to have a minimum in the American
one too but I don’t remember what it is In America it is a lot easier to get an A/A- than it is to get a 30 in Italy 30s are rarely given out People don’t graduate from university with
30 GPAs so it’s really hard to compare the two scales if you see someone with a 28/29 GPA in italy that’s like a 4.0 if you see someone with a 30, they’re usually
a genius and not in anyway the norm not to diminish American grades, because you
still have to work for them but to get a 3.8 etc is much more common in
America In America, you’re graded a lot on your effort exams, assignments, presentations even attending class or participating in class So really, if you put in the effort to do
your assignments, your presentations, participate in class, you can still bomb the exam and end with a good grade In Italy, that’s unheard of In Italy your grade is one thing and one thing
only It’s your exam one exam There are a few different ways you can take
said exam but in the end it’s either you know the stuff,
or you don’t know the stuff It’s either you pass or you fail Which then leads me into the method In America there is a lot of practice When you go to a lecture in America there
are many different ways of doing it You can have a lecture which is not just the
professor reading off slides but it’s a conversation between the professor
and the students they’re going to ask you questions to check
your knowledge in the middle of class that doesn’t happen in Italy In America, you’ll have a chapter right? And you’ll have different unit quizzes all
along the way of studying said chapter All along the way, you’re testing yourself
and you’re practicing for the final exam Which is why American students don’t really
study as much… it’s because they don’t really have to Going to class and doing the work is enough
to make you pass the exam They’re going to be testing you and quizzing
you before the exam on all the things that are going to be on
the exam Italian universities are like all lecture you go to the lecture, you listen to the professor
talk there’s really no student, teacher interaction rarely at Bocconi, you’ll see foreign professors
try to ask the students some questions but even when they ask the questions, the
students don’t respond something about Italian students, they’re
not really into class participation they know the answers… but they just don’t
want to respond ..I don’t know The teacher is not going to make you understand
the material There’s not going to be quizzes or presentations
or group work things to check your knowledge The only way you’re going to pass the exam
is if you, in the end, take the syllabus and know everything that’s on it You have to actively study, to pass the exam In America, if you don’t do the work, and
you don’t go to class, you can’t pass the exam In Italy you can get away with not ever going
to the class, you can get away with not doing the work because in the end it’s all about studying
that book, knowing what’s on the syllabus and then taking the exam Yeah that was pretty much the hardest part
for me, in terms of adjustment the content that you’re learning is the same the only difference is that in Italy, you’re
going to go way more into the theory and you’ll study things very broadly In America, it’s going to be much more specific
to you and your degree In America you study macroeconomics, microeconomics,
econometrics but in Italy you study [the topic of economics]
very broadly an economics degree doesn’t just consist of
economics an economics degree has to know finance, commercial
law, trade policy, politics I study things that are very broad so there’s just a lot of pressure with the
Italian system because of the way that it’s taught since it’s all theory and it’s all based on
one exam… and also the timing of the schoolyear plays a role in America the school year starts around August
and ends around May So you have June, July and some of August
to relax (or work or do internships) You also have a very long winter break my friends have such long winter breaks and
thanksgiving I’m always so jealous of them! In Italy you don’t get any of that Your breaks consist of Christmas, Easter and
if you’re lucky, you’ll get some s ummer vacation but they’re never really vacations because classes end for the winter semester
and then you’ll have your ‘vacation’ but after two weeks of ‘vacation’ you have
exams. so you’re not going to spend 2 weeks having
vacation because you start all your exams the day vacation ends you have to spend those two weeks studying
everything from the class before there’s no real vacation even when you’re not going to school, you
still have to study the only Italian vacation you have, is if
you’re driven enough to finish all of your exams in the first summer session and then you’ll have 2/2.5 months of vacation but it’s very rare that people do that the Italian university is very theory based
and because of that it can be very difficult since it’s theory, you have to study a lot when you’re learning through practice, it’s
easier because you learn by ‘doing’, once you do something, you remember it you don’t have to do it so many times to understand it either whereas theory is a little bit more complicated there’s a little bit more to it but I can say though, is that I appreciate the
theory-based learning for math because the first time I ever understood math
in my life was when I moved to Italy and started doing calculus before, I kind of just slid through my math
classes I was in the higher level math classes but
I was always one of the dumbest people there I didn’t really understand it and the teachers don’t try to make you understand in America it’s like they tell you to go home,
figure out a way for you to get the right answer, and if you get the right answer, awesome! They say that there are a million ways to
do math and if you just find one that works for you, do it! In Italy, they say there is this way and this
way this is how you do both and now you know and since you know how to do it, and they
explain how and why it’s done that way, because it’s a theoretical approach you understand it a lot better Which one is better? I would say it all depends on you Do you want to work in Italy/Europe or do
you want to work in USA? Because if you want to work in USA obviously
an American degree is going to be more recognized and easily transferable In Europe, European graduates will always take precedence The technical, theoretical knowledge that
Italian universities teach, will compensate for the practice that Italian students don’t
receive If you know the theory behind it you’re going to eventually know how to do
it For American students, even though they didn’t
really learn the technical aspects behind certain concepts, American universities will prepare you for
the job the skills that you learn from an American
university will be enough to excel, and be hired for the job that you desire University experience! I almost forgot university experience Italian university is school, American university
is a lifestyle American university isn’t just going to class American university encompasses every aspect
of your life for 4 years you wake up, you go to the university gym,
or the university cafe when you live on a college campus, it’s like
living in a mini town full of college students everything is sponsored by and owned by the
university the college experience in America is college
life you have a doctor on campus, a psychologist, that’s why American universities are so expensive,
because you’re paying for all of these extra little things you have sports at American universities that
actually matter you have greek life none of that is present at Italian university
or even other European ones Italian universities you wake up, you go to
lectures and then after lectures you go home it’s a lot like high school actually that being said, I live on my own in Italy I live in an apartment, I pay the same kind
of bills that any Italian would pay I have to buy my own groceries, cook my own
food you get a lot of independence from an Italian
university even though it might not seem that way Where as in an American university, you’re
on like meal plans so you’re not really doing your own grocery
shopping, are you? and you’re living in a dorm, that’s regulated
by the school, so it’s not really living on your own you’re not really paying bills month to month Italian universities really make you be on
your own you’re going to be on your own teaching yourself
the coursework and you’re going to be on your own trying
to put a life together because there’s not that university life and
shelter that there is in America I think I’ve talked about this topic, enough… I think this video has been long enough So comment down below with your thoughts, as always, like and subscribe if you haven’t
already and I’ll see you guys in my next one!

You need to keep in mind that there are community colleges and private/public universities. I decided to stay home to attend my university and I would travel from home to my campus 20 minutes away. Eventually, here I am, in my own apartment, finishing my last year, and I still drive 15 minutes to my school. And my university doesn't really have Greek life since it is downtown, but there is a group or something. Any way, I think it differs.

I personally think that the best way to study is using official books and syllabus, becouse it gives you an overall academic knowledge that a majores student has to know and gain during his studies… you got to go deep into your studies by your own and try to understand and reason the concepts in order to train up your mind and develop your intuition and brain skills… that’s the only way to become a real accademic majored!

So even though you are completely right about most of the points, I want to expand on one. I am in the USA and I will have my own apartment on the campus.Well, maybe because I go to huge university this is the case, and you do have to go through freshman year dorm-life, but you can move out your second year and be independent. Another point, community college in the USA is under-looked and I went that route and transferred to 4-year school after. And I am European and I started to think of moving to Europe after school, so will see how that will turn out with American diploma. I think it is easier to have American diploma count in Europe rather vice versa,

American Universitis are not even comparable to secondary schools in Italy. In Italy you go to school to study not to play basketballs. In Italy you do not buy education you get it based on your grades

I wander in which American high schools you study Greek, Latin, philosophy, chemistry, history at the age of 14. I love the US still the school system in the US is simply patetich as far as cost and as far as intellectual formation even so much lower than the average secondary American school.

Hey Tia. Can you do a video on itslian school's (non uni) like smaller school for languages. I'm thinking of going to Europass in Florence and wanted to ask your views on it. Also is it hard to find work out after studying the language or if your a foreigner.

Thaaaaaaat's not entirely true. I went to a UC (University of California) for four years and after the second year you have the option to move off-campus and most people… DON'T live on-campus after two years.

On-campus living is kind of like living at home – you live in a bubble, separate from the outside world, and there's always someone supervising you. Whereas, if you move off-campus, it's cheaper (or you break even) and you can feel free to live a more independent lifestyle. You find your own apartment, pay your own rent, buy your own groceries (etc.), and are just generally closer to the city's downtown where you can participate in local culture and activities. So to say that you live on-campus at an American university for four years isn't really accurate. You CAN, but most people don't.

You did not talk about how an Italian degree is seen in the US, or how much it is worth it…can you please explain ? I know they prefer US degree but if I go there with my Italian degrees, do I have some chance to find work in my field or they will prefer local graduates? Thanks

Ok, I am.noy Italian neither American and I am doing my master degree in engeniering here in Italy. And I think THE ITALIAN SYSTEM SUCKS!!! First Italians take University for granted, they don't give value for education, the university is only interested in your exams and you are just one number for the university ( they want to improve in their international ranking ), students live with their parent and don't work (easily un until 30 yo), universities are not organized, there are not evenings lessons or any support you might need, professors don't know how to teach and they are very miserable ( I can read their body language) using way to much slides, some of them even teaching all the lesson side down on his chair, they will never speak about something important going on in politics, economic or social ( if it's not not their teaching subject),don't think they even hear about teaching methodology and cognitive process of learning, and there is no integration between the Italian student and the non Italian; racism, prejudice and arrastment is easy obseved underneath. Italian University is pretty much like factory, with its old fashioned way, and very narrow mentality and limited approach for education. University aim to give you education and to make you a professional,but it also should helpe you to become a fully conscious citizen. What Italian university, at least in technical field, doesn't! They student lives in a bubble and the majority don't know what real life is. Why I am studying here? I got a opportunity and I know how much education worth it, besudes the university still holds a good name on the job market. But I see there are so much to be improved and to be changed in the Italian education system bring it to the 21 century.

I think this is a very interesting video. I can say that I am familiar with both of the models. The big difference lies in the fact that the American education system is based on a business model while the Italian system is not based on a business model. This means that the business model, which prizes “customer satisfaction” or “efficiency” above all else, has led in higher education to an imbalance in the relation between student and institution and has led to a culture of entitlement and instant gratification (it is very common to pass in the US system). Businesses operate for a single fixed purpose: to generate profit. This affects the level of education and knowledge a person receives and it has consequences on the society.

For those who are considering coming to italy for college, i'll add something more to what tia said:1. Interaction with the teachers depends basically on how many students attend the class. I study physics and we are less than 50 students (exept for the first days of lessons in which we are more than 50), and when we do exercises in class we do it on the board with the teacher, or he does the exercise but asking us questions. Moreover we can go to teacher's office to ask him about what we didn't understand (you can email him to ask for an appointment)2. Most exams are ORAL: yes i know that is more difficult in this way, but believe me i've understood things i've never understood on my own during the oral exam, because teacher give you the grade considering if you truly UNDERSTOOD something, not if you only figured out how to do an excercise.3. Taxes can be more cheaper than she said. In my university for a family earning less than something like 14.000€ a year, university is free, and if you pass all of your exams on time the refound you university's taxes.4. For experience, italian students are very appreciated abroad thanks to our theoretical knowledge.

By the way my university is Università degli Studi di Salerno.think that's it, if you want to know something else i'd like to help you (:Thank you Tia for your videos!! xx

Ms. Taylor. I love your channel and I really need your help. I live in Sicily and got an official document called a Declaration of Value that is an official translation of my high school degree/transcripts and the same for my bachelors degree. People down here are saying this means absolutely nothing still. Who did you have to talk tobto attend university there?

I agree with a few points, and I'm French so, I can't really compare with the Italian system. The major differences for me are the ones you developed but also the fact that in France we don't use multiple choice test, you always have to write a structured essay. Even in math you need to explain your approach. If you do literary studies, political sciences or languages, essays becomes dissertations. They don't want you to give your opinion, they always request a development based on your researches. except if you are a genius. They never really want your opinion because it would be just a mediocre interpretation of what some historian or philosopher did much better before you. That's why you have to study a lot by yourself, spend a lots of time at the library, consult 4 different encyclopedias etc…I'm graduate from the sorbonne and our teacher the first year clearly explained us that the ones who take a side job are the one who fails. It is very easy to get in , but 50% of students don't finish the first year. The other major difference is after an American university you GET A JOB. It is like a warranty, you pay as for connections than for knowledge and that is a reassuring aspect.

In America you have to do good on your school or you fail.I am homeschooled and my math is hard it has stuff from the next year mixed in with whatever year you’re on and it is about 40 questions on average for a math lesson also when i do math you can’t just do any random method of a problem you do it the way or ways they tell you

American scholastic system(university included)it s ridicolous compared to Italian one.. their exams are much more easy ,all tests, general culture = zero , any faculties in Italy has at least 3/4 exams on general culture in that field..in America the level of general culture is unbelievably low, they really dont know nothing but a little bit of american history.

In the US, higher education is paid. In Russia, it is possible to complete several stages of education free of charge: secondary vocational, specialty, magistracy, postgraduate study. Also in Russia, you can take your own refresher courses for free. In addition, the employer pays for professional training and refresher courses. Obtaining a second higher education is paid by the state to reserve officers. Do not pay for a second higher education can, if you get a grant in Innopolis. Having one professional education in one year you can undergo professional retraining (and get another specialty), which is equivalent to getting higher education, and the cost of training is lower than the average salary for the month. And top American universities are constantly losing the world programming championships to Russian higher education institutions.